‘No Reason’ For 3D TVs to Cost More Than Other Sets, Sony’s Coombes Says

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- There’s “no reason” 3D TVs should cost more than other sets, said David Coombes, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s platform research manager for developer support. They'll actually probably cost less than current 2D TVs because the cost of manufacturing TVs has dropped, he said Wednesday at the 3D Gaming Summit.

There’s little difference between 2D and 3D sets because the only extra technology needed for 3D is a synchronization system for the special glasses, Coombes said. A 3D TV that uses active shutter glasses, such as the coming Sony Bravia models, is expected to cost less than those that use passive glasses. Active shutter glasses are more expensive than passive glasses. Coombes predicted the price of active glasses will come down quickly but wasn’t more specific about timing.

Sony will provide a firmware update this year to add 3D compatibility to all PS3s. The update will become available when Sony ships its first Bravia 3D TVs, “later in the summer,” Coombes said. He didn’t elaborate on Sony Computer Entertainment’s 3D game plans.

Coombes rejected claims by some speakers at the conference that the PS3 lacks the power to handle the most complex 3D games. Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at Nvidia, had predicted it would be “a challenge” for Sony to offer games like that, adding, “I think they'll have to make some trade-offs in terms of resolution” (CED April 22 p1). Eisler and Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein predicted that no consoles will run the most complex 3D games until the next product cycle. They said Sony and Microsoft, which has been silent on its 3D plans, will be forced to compromise the frame rates of games to add 3D. The Wii wouldn’t be powerful enough to run any complex game in 3D, Eisler said. The lack of adequate horsepower on the current consoles will give the console manufacturers a big push to introduce next-generation systems, Rein said. But Coombes said games don’t have to update at 60 frames per second, as some at the conference had claimed.

Coombes said there “isn’t going to be a format war” over 3D in the home. He noted a Blu-ray 3D standard has been completed. Some may see a format war in home 3D glasses because some TVs are using active shutter glasses and others passive glasses, and neither kind will work with the other. Further complicating the issue is that active-shutter systems vary depending on the TV manufacturer, so the glasses from one company’s active-shutter-based 3D TV won’t likely work on another manufacturer’s set, said David Naranjo, Mitsubishi director of product development. It’s “a big challenge,” he said. Third-party companies could help minimize concern over the issue with universal glasses that could be used with all the TVs.

Avatar producer Jon Landau in a keynote Thursday cautioned companies not to “come out with 27 different ways to watch something” in 3D at home. Landau predicted 3D will become “ubiquitous” throughout the entertainment industry.

The potential of stereoscopic 3D gaming is “greater than the potential of 3D films,” Landau said. We're “going to see” the home 3D market, starting with games, “drive” the overall 3D market, he predicted. Initial sales of 3D TVs are promising, he said, telling the conference he had heard that Best Buy had sold out of the first sets it received.

Nvidia’s Eisler said the game industry needs to do a better job of promoting 3D. Michael Cai, vice president of videogames at Interpret research, said the game industry needs to do a better job of educating consumers. A study by his company found a great deal of confusion, he said. Analyst Jon Peddie predicted that if the game industry doesn’t resolve within three years the few 3D issues blocking wide adoption of the technology, it never will.